What is the cheapest way to make/buy a tiny home in uk? Could be small as 10ft x 10ft or so

[Gueyog8a7]

Shepherd's huts seem popular when I have been looking around while on my travels in the country. I have no idea if they are cheap though. I would tend to think not and they are more popular for the aesthetic than for price and seems to be lots of professional builds of those for thousands so doesn't seem to fit the bill.

Straw bale home I have been suggested as being a possible option. Cheap and good insulation from what I have read.

What else is there on the cheap?

Shipping containers seem popular for general storage and just looked and only £1500 for a 40ft one. 40 might even be more than I would require and the smaller the better to not take up any more space than necessary.

I am used to living in 6ft x 3ft van so just a few more would be living in luxury. I think 10ft x 10ft would be nice for me. Enough room to stretch out but no more than necessary. Maybe just a garden shed in this case which seems like it would run a similar price or even a bit cheaper than a shipping container and would prefer wood I think given the choice.

 

[wpns]

Only people who have never seen a shipping container in person think they are a good idea for housing.

Unless you start with a refrigerated container and stainless steel walls, and I think I just blew your budget out of the water.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Whatever you choose, make sure it's modular or expandable. The novelty of the tiny home thing seems to wear off pretty quick, most people wind up wanting some decent square footage within a few years. If you can add on as your wants, needs, and budget expand, instead of having to start over again entirely, you'll be ahead of the game.

 

[Rmart30]

A caravan?

 

[Chispas]

Think about whether you're going legal, with planning permission, first. Cheap options are a garden shed but you would need to insulate & build a base. Caravans can be cheap but sorting out leaks on older ones can be a challenge as is keeping condensation under control, they're not designed or built for year round living.

 

[MisterB1959]

Shepherd's huts seem popular when I have been looking around while on my travels in the country. I have no idea if they are cheap though. I would tend to think not and they are more popular for the aesthetic than for price and seems to be lots of professional builds of those for thousands so doesn't seem to fit the bill.

Straw bale home I have been suggested as being a possible option. Cheap and good insulation from what I have read.

What else is there on the cheap?

Shipping containers seem popular for general storage and just looked and only £1500 for a 40ft one. 40 might even be more than I would require and the smaller the better to not take up any more space than necessary.

I am used to living in 6ft x 3ft van so just a few more would be living in luxury. I think 10ft x 10ft would be nice for me. Enough room to stretch out but no more than necessary. Maybe just a garden shed in this case which seems like it would run a similar price or even a bit cheaper than a shipping container and would prefer wood I think given the choice.

I've got a shepherd's hut project that hasn't really taken off yet. Includes roof trusses, corrugated iron curved roofing sheets, trailer base (approx 12' x 6' but I intended building overhang to make it wider). I also bought used (and very old and weathered) corrugated sheets for cladding one side, but prob enough to do a lot more, more for aesthetics than anything else. Several uPVC windows in Agate grey colour

Needs timber frame making to the size you want to make, insulation, cladding, door and internals. If it's going to be sited permanently, I've even got some old cast iron wheels that I was going to fix to the sides to make it look authentic.

PM if you're interested - I'm in Essex, UK. I will prob start to build it myself next year, so not desperate to sell!

 

[50ShadesOfDirt]

I'm going to try and bring this round to solar, but you'll want to build a TinyHomeOnWheels (a small trailer kit). When something is on wheels, it tends to escape all kinds of rules and regulations; you need only build it "right". The Tiny Home movement has tons of information on building at every stage.

Get a trailer kit from your equivalent of our Harbor Freight, and the size of the trailer is your square footage footprint. Build panelized & insulated floor, walls, and roof. When you start googling this approach, you'll see countless ideas for shapes and sizes.

Do lots of planning, including how to incorporate solar gear (AIO inverter, batteries, solar panels on roof), as you are planning the electrical system and wiring. It's a lot of fun, building at such a small scale, as everything is within your set of construction skills (if you are the least bit DIY).

Hope this helps ...

 

[menchelke]

Only people who have never seen a shipping container in person think they are a good idea for housing.

Unless you start with a refrigerated container and stainless steel walls, and I think I just blew your budget out of the water.

Basically what this guy said. I actually live in a shipping container. But it is the stainless walls and is a reefer container. So it is pre-insulated. USA dollars, I just payed 6700 for them. 40ft x8ft.

That said they do make smaller ones. You can get 8x20 and 8x10s I believe, in the insulated form factor, I dunno.

My uncle had an old milk delivery van, basically an insulated box truck, same idea as the shipping container. Basically buy an old decommissioned freezer, then adapt it to your lifestyle.

No idea on your local laws or anything.

 

[MattiFin]

Cheapest way?
Secondhand materials from local graigslist alternative, Wood, insulation &roofing.
Foundation with screw piles.

2-hand insulated panels would be one option if you can find something locally.
IE https://www.panelsell.co.uk/offers-panels/second-hand-panels-insulation

 

[wpns]

Cheapest way?
Secondhand materials from local graigslist alternative, Wood, insulation &roofing.
Foundation with screw piles.

2-hand insulated panels would be one option if you can find something locally.
IE https://www.panelsell.co.uk/offers-panels/second-hand-panels-insulation

That’s not awful, first SWAG is 270 euros for the insulation.

 

[50ShadesOfDirt]

A 20' shipping container can be made into a reasonable "home" (for temporary living) as follows:
- install the container onto a permanent set of piers, tied down appropriately
- open up the container doors, add a porch roof to the top of the doors ... now there's a porch cover
- install a 2x4 wall into the door opening, and frame in a 6' "french door" opening
- all your services inside are of a temporary nature (electrical, plumbing, propane heat, etc.)

The french doors add a pair of 3' lockable doors to the unit, and the light is enough to get some natural light in there. Spent a summer in one, this way. No problems, but I owned the land (an acre) that it was on; little to no regulations/codes. When done with living in it, the french door scheme made a pretty nifty storage unit out of it all. Being a shipping container, it was considered a temporary structure, and escaped all kinds of rules.

To convert from temporary living to more permanent (assuming no code/zoning problems), install rigid insulation on the walls, ceiling, and cover with plywood or your choice of materials; plenty of websites showing how to do this. Convert all services to permanent.

Cut more holes for windows, or move the french door to a long side, once you have the final plan figured out. Plan on decks and such, covered patios, whatever, to expand space as needed.

As far as the exterior is concerned, once you've decided to switch to permanent living, there are all kinds of materials to roof over the container (make it part of your covered deck/patio system), and side the exterior with your choice of finishes. When done right, it will be hard to tell that it started out life as a shipping container.

Websites and vids abound ...

Hope this helps ...

 

[Gueyog8a7]

I have just discovered roundwood timber framing. This looks like just what I want! One of the simplest ways to make frames with few tools and of course using materials I already have.

 

[wpns]

roundwood timber framing

Wow, as someone who lives in The Land Of Termites, you just gave me a fright!

 

[MattiFin]

I have just discovered roundwood timber framing. This looks like just what I want! One of the simplest ways to make frames with few tools and of course using materials I already have.

I'm not so sure of simple. Lots of cutting and fitting involved and every joint turns to 3D art. If you don't have any woodworking or construction experience it might be a good idea to enlist to a suitable course or volunteer in some project.

Insulation and outdoor/indoor paneling is also going to be more difficult unless you go with something like clay&straws

 

[HighDesertDrifter]

Have you looked at building a sod house or a stacked wood home? Stacked wood is just large pieces of firewood cut to length (width of your wall) and stacked up with cement (sod / adobe) binding your walls together.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Have you looked at building a sod house or a stacked wood home? Stacked wood is just large pieces of firewood cut to length (width of your wall) and stacked up with cement (sod / adobe) binding your walls together.

Yes I have researched around these topics.

 

[wme]

Reboot an old thread